Fabrication of MnFe2O4/ZnO Nanocomposite and its Application in Photo-Fenton Process for the Removal of Surfactant from Aqueous Solutions

Photo-Fenton oxidation is one of the most efficient advanced oxidation process that is used for the treatment of effluents containing recalcitrant compounds. In this research, the removal of an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate, by MnFe2O4/ZnO nanocatalyst using photo-Fenton advanced oxidation process has been investigated. In this study, the MnFe2O4/ZnO nanocomposite was firstly synthesized and characterized, and then applied in the photo-Fenton oxidation process under UV irradiation. The effect of different parameters, such as pH, catalyst dose and the amount of hydrogen peroxide, on the process were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, at pH = 7, with a surfactant concentration of 5 mg/L, at 30 min using 2.24 mL hydrogen peroxide, the surfactant removal efficiency was 100%. The results show that the proposed method using the synthesized nanocatalyst has a high efficiency in the removal of surfactants.